United States v. Prive Overseas Marine, et al.

On September 26, 2024, a court sentenced Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret and Prive Overseas Marine to pay a total of $2 million in criminal penalties to include a $500,000 community service payment for coastal environmental projects in the district. The companies will each complete four-year terms of probation, which includes implementing an environmental compliance plan with audit, inspection, and reporting requirements.

Abdurrahman Korkmaz, a Turkish citizen and master of the Motor Tanker PS Dream, a Panama-flagged chemical tanker, was recently sentenced to eight months of incarceration, followed by one year of supervised release. Korkmaz pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging him with violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and Obstruction of Proceedings (33 U.S.C. § 1908(a); 18 U.S.C. § 1505). The two corporations pleaded guilty separately to APPS and obstruction violations. 

In January 2023, Korkmaz and the ship’ s operator ordered the crew to perform an overboard discharge of the contents of a residual oil tank on deck. Over the course of several days, the crew used a portable pump to empty the tank before arriving in New Orleans and failed to report the conduct in the ship’ s oil record books. Korkmaz also gave false statements to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors to conceal the discharge.

The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.